It’s official. After mocking the artisanal hipsters imitating a smoke machine in an eighties soft rock video, I’ve finally joined them. As of today, I am now a vaper.

When it comes to my bad habits, smoking cigarettes led the way by miles. While I might procrastinate, or get caught up in videogames more than I like, my work doesn’t allow for this to get out of hand. And my family also limit my ability to timewaste in a variety of ways.

Left to my own devices, I could eat more healthily. And I could certainly get more exercise. But I do eat a reasonably balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, and also try to get out for a walk fairly regularly.

And in the positives, I rarely drink to excess any more. Work, fatherhood, and my inability to handle hangovers as I’ve got older have all meant I prioritise quality over quantity. And even then, I probably manage less than a couple of pints a week on average.

But despite occasionally quitting for short periods in the past, I’ve maintained a smoking habit for about two decades now. And the only change in that time was swapping from my original Marlboro Reds to Marlboro Golds/Lights, which is hardly a healthy choice.

And it’s not just me that’s affected. Obviously the dangers of passive smoking are well known. So despite only smoking outside, it’s something which risks the health of family, friends, and anyone else around. Plus there’s the fact that my life is being conducted in an aroma of stale smoke, and I’ve become increasingly sepia-tinted.

Meanwhile one friend who previously smoked has completed multiple marathons since switching to vaping. Another has lost weight and toned up since switching and making the gym his new addiction. And various other people have repeatedly pointed out the cost savings and potential health benefits.

Vaping is still relatively new. So there aren’t a lot of long term studies on the health implications. And the tobacco industry isn’t noted for being an impartial, benevolent source of information on health risks. But on balance, the risks of vaping in the short term appear to be significantly less than those of continuing to smoke.

There is loads of information that I would urge people to take a look at before starting vaping. But although it still means a dependence on nicotine, and there are still some health risks, the current estimates that it’s somewhere around 5% as harmful as smoking.

(Wikipedia has a decent summary, as you’d expect.)

So less harmful. And less stinky – as of today, the aroma around me is mainly strawberries and lime. Plus, it’s also a lot cheaper. With a packet of 20 cigarettes costing around £10, even one of the higher end vaping systems will have paid itself back in 1-2 weeks.

I was actually kindly donated one kit by a friend after posting some vaping questions on Facebook. But decided to invest in a backup thanks to some persuasive sales techniques when I visited one of the many local vaping stores… I’m not regretting it though, as a spare will undoubtedly come in handy at some point.

Incidentally, the vaping set-up I’ve ended up with, replacing 10-15 cigarettes per day, is the Aspire Zelos. So far it’s been easy to use, worked well, and is small and light enough to carry around.

Hopefully I’ll be updating in the future as I lower the nicotine dosage with an eye on giving up inhaling any nicotine. But I’m happy to have made a start – and I’ll be even happier as my lung capacity returns and my bank balance improves…

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